By Hugh Wilson

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Jul 10, 2013 13:00:00

After a thrilling first leg in the Europa League qualifying, two sides topping their respective leagues meet again and our tipster is backing goals

St Patrick’s Athletic travelled to Zalgiris last week in the Europa League First Round Qualifying with nothing separating the two sides as they drew 2-2 thanks for a late striker from St Pats Gerard O’Brien.

A place in the second round awaits the winner of this tie, something that St Patrick’s experienced last year, beating Siroki Brijeg in extra-time before losing to Hannover 96 in the third round. Zalgiris also found themselves in the second phase last season, only to be beaten comfortably by Admira.

St Patrick’s come into this tie in fantastic form in the Irish Premier. Liam Buckley’s men sit at the top of the league, with only one defeat in 15 matches.

St Pats have been especially strong at home in recent weeks, dominating their last four matches. Paddy Power price them as favourites to win the match in 90 minutes at even money (2.00).

Zalgiris are also dominating their domestic league, sitting on top of the pile with a gap of nine points to the side in second and a goal difference of +44 after 18 matches.

Marek Zub’s men will be disappointed not to have taken an advantage into Thursday’s second leg after leading twice last week in Lithuania. Paddy Power price them as the underdogs at 12/5 (3.40) to win the match in normal time. The same firm offer the draw at 23/10 (3.30).

A bet that stands out in this fixture is over 2.5 goals at 10/11 (1.91). This bet paid out comfortably in the first leg, as well as landing in five out of St Pats last six games, and eight of Zalgiris last 10 matches. With the tie evenly set after the first leg, expect both sides to want to find the net.

For those looking for more value, St Patricks on the -1 handicap at 13/5 (3.60) is a stand out price. Buckley’s men have been in fine form this season, with this bet paying out in their last four home matches.

St Pats haven’t struggled to score at home this season, and when you consider that they have conceded only four goals in 12 home matches, it’s certainly worth investing in this bet.